George Washington University Athletics
GW Honors the Life and Legacy of Ray Looney
2/1/2024 1:17:00 PM | Baseball
Ray Looney, a GW icon and symbol for athletic excellence, leaves a legacy of greatness in Foggy Bottom that few will ever live up to. Looney, a three-year letterwinner with the Buff & Blue football and baseball teams was inducted into the GW Athletics Hall of Fame in 2002.
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"It is with a heavy heart that GW Athletics and the GW baseball family remember and honor Ray Looney," GW Baseball Head Coach Gregg Ritchie said. "He and his teammates performed great feats on the baseball field and the football gridiron. Ray is a GW athlete who our present young men look up to and respect as a shining and everlasting example of how to do it right. Ray's memory and legacy will live on to help guide our young men to understand what it means to be the most elite athlete, a man of honor and integrity, and a real-life achiever. Ray Looney is GW lore and an icon of GW Athletics and our baseball program. He will always be remembered. Our deepest sympathies and condolences to the Looney family."
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A native of Glassport, Pa., Looney arrived in the DMV during the fall of 1954 and spent his first semester as a member of GW's junior varsity football and basketball teams. As the spring of 1955 arrived, Looney's athletic career took off with a standout first-year season on the Buff & Blue baseball team. Looney played the entire season at first base, leading the team to a 12-6 overall record and picking up All-Southern Conference honors.
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Entering his sophomore year, Looney emerged as a top player for the football team, sharing the reigns at quarterback with another future GW Athletic Hall of Famer in Bob Strum. Under Looney's leadership, the squad exceeded expectations and ended the season with a 5-4 record, helping earn head coach Bo Sherman the Southern Conference Coach of the Year award. During his sophomore baseball season, Looney continued to stand out. The 1956 squad captured the Southern Conference championship, led by Looney who picked up his second-straight All-Conference accolade. The Buff & Blue finished with an 11-7 mark that year, including an 8-3 record in conference play.
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As an upperclassman, Looney's junior year was arguably his best in Foggy Bottom. In football, Looney helped lead the team to the winningest season in program history (8-1-1), including the team's first and only bowl appearance. On Jan. 1, 1957, Looney and GW upset favored Texas Western (now Texas-El Paso), 13-0, to capture the Sun Bowl title. Looney was named the team's MVP and led the squad in total offensive yardage with 518. On the diamond, Looney led GW to an outstanding 19-2 record and claimed the team's second-straight Southern Conference title. The Buff & Blue advanced to the NCAA Regional Tournament for just the third time in program history, competing against Duke, Florida State and Georgia Teachers College (now Georgia Southern) at Sims Legion Park in Gastona, N.C. During his junior year, Looney finished with a .256 batting average, earning All-Southern Conference honors for the third-consecutive year.
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As a senior, Looney was unable to finish his final football season due to dislocated shoulder that he suffered against Air Force. Prior to the injury, Looney had guided GW as the team's starting quarterback for the first four games of the season. Before he could suit up for GW during his senior baseball season, Looney signed a professional contract with the Pittsburgh Pirates in December of 1957. With the deal coming eight years before the establishment of the MLB's free agent draft, Looney's $30,000 signing bonus was the largest given to a GW athlete in any pro sport.
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Looney played six seasons of pro ball, reaching the AAA ranks on two separate occasions. In 1962, Looney appeared in 133 games with the Vancouver Mounties (AAA affiliate of the Minnesota Twins). He finished with a batting average of .236 on the year including 59 RBI, 18 home runs, 64 runs scored, 65 walks and 16 doubles. After a year away, Looney played his final pro season in 1964, appearing in 70 games for the newly crowned AAA affiliate of the Twins, the Atlanta Crackers. During his final year, Looney tallied a batting average of .250, totaled 54 hits, 26 RBI, 30 walks and 11 home runs. Despite promise, injuries got the best of him and ultimately cut his professional baseball journey short.
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After his playing days were over, Looney married Janice Cunningham Looney and joined the FBI as a special agent. Looney spent 21 years with the Bureau and eventually opened his own private investigating firm in Fort Myers, FL, where he worked until retiring in 2000. Looney also spent time coaching his three sons Scott, Brian and Craig, in the various sports they participated in. In later years, Brian would eventually make it to the MLB, playing three combined years for the Montreal Expos and the Boston Red Sox.
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Ray Looney passed away in November of 2023. His time in Foggy Bottom exemplify what it means to be a student-athlete at GW and his legacy will be remembered through the memories and stories passed down from his time wearing the Buff & Blue.
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"It is with a heavy heart that GW Athletics and the GW baseball family remember and honor Ray Looney," GW Baseball Head Coach Gregg Ritchie said. "He and his teammates performed great feats on the baseball field and the football gridiron. Ray is a GW athlete who our present young men look up to and respect as a shining and everlasting example of how to do it right. Ray's memory and legacy will live on to help guide our young men to understand what it means to be the most elite athlete, a man of honor and integrity, and a real-life achiever. Ray Looney is GW lore and an icon of GW Athletics and our baseball program. He will always be remembered. Our deepest sympathies and condolences to the Looney family."
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A native of Glassport, Pa., Looney arrived in the DMV during the fall of 1954 and spent his first semester as a member of GW's junior varsity football and basketball teams. As the spring of 1955 arrived, Looney's athletic career took off with a standout first-year season on the Buff & Blue baseball team. Looney played the entire season at first base, leading the team to a 12-6 overall record and picking up All-Southern Conference honors.
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Entering his sophomore year, Looney emerged as a top player for the football team, sharing the reigns at quarterback with another future GW Athletic Hall of Famer in Bob Strum. Under Looney's leadership, the squad exceeded expectations and ended the season with a 5-4 record, helping earn head coach Bo Sherman the Southern Conference Coach of the Year award. During his sophomore baseball season, Looney continued to stand out. The 1956 squad captured the Southern Conference championship, led by Looney who picked up his second-straight All-Conference accolade. The Buff & Blue finished with an 11-7 mark that year, including an 8-3 record in conference play.
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As an upperclassman, Looney's junior year was arguably his best in Foggy Bottom. In football, Looney helped lead the team to the winningest season in program history (8-1-1), including the team's first and only bowl appearance. On Jan. 1, 1957, Looney and GW upset favored Texas Western (now Texas-El Paso), 13-0, to capture the Sun Bowl title. Looney was named the team's MVP and led the squad in total offensive yardage with 518. On the diamond, Looney led GW to an outstanding 19-2 record and claimed the team's second-straight Southern Conference title. The Buff & Blue advanced to the NCAA Regional Tournament for just the third time in program history, competing against Duke, Florida State and Georgia Teachers College (now Georgia Southern) at Sims Legion Park in Gastona, N.C. During his junior year, Looney finished with a .256 batting average, earning All-Southern Conference honors for the third-consecutive year.
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As a senior, Looney was unable to finish his final football season due to dislocated shoulder that he suffered against Air Force. Prior to the injury, Looney had guided GW as the team's starting quarterback for the first four games of the season. Before he could suit up for GW during his senior baseball season, Looney signed a professional contract with the Pittsburgh Pirates in December of 1957. With the deal coming eight years before the establishment of the MLB's free agent draft, Looney's $30,000 signing bonus was the largest given to a GW athlete in any pro sport.
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Looney played six seasons of pro ball, reaching the AAA ranks on two separate occasions. In 1962, Looney appeared in 133 games with the Vancouver Mounties (AAA affiliate of the Minnesota Twins). He finished with a batting average of .236 on the year including 59 RBI, 18 home runs, 64 runs scored, 65 walks and 16 doubles. After a year away, Looney played his final pro season in 1964, appearing in 70 games for the newly crowned AAA affiliate of the Twins, the Atlanta Crackers. During his final year, Looney tallied a batting average of .250, totaled 54 hits, 26 RBI, 30 walks and 11 home runs. Despite promise, injuries got the best of him and ultimately cut his professional baseball journey short.
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After his playing days were over, Looney married Janice Cunningham Looney and joined the FBI as a special agent. Looney spent 21 years with the Bureau and eventually opened his own private investigating firm in Fort Myers, FL, where he worked until retiring in 2000. Looney also spent time coaching his three sons Scott, Brian and Craig, in the various sports they participated in. In later years, Brian would eventually make it to the MLB, playing three combined years for the Montreal Expos and the Boston Red Sox.
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Ray Looney passed away in November of 2023. His time in Foggy Bottom exemplify what it means to be a student-athlete at GW and his legacy will be remembered through the memories and stories passed down from his time wearing the Buff & Blue.
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